First Draft to Published

Soul and Spirit in African American Culture By Stephanie Rose Bird The Big Book of Soul: the Ultimate Guide to the African American Spirit: Legend & Lore, Music and Mysticism, Recipes and Rituals, by Stephanie Rose Bird(Hampton Roads, 2010) takes an unusual path to understanding soul and spirit in African cultures. As an herbalist that practices African earth-based spirituality, I used my background as the lens through which to understand the African American spirit. Some words are more conceptual than they are easy to define; such is the case with spirit, soul and yes, even African American Spirit. Let’s examine each of these individually. When I think of spirit, I think of many different aspects of the word. I think of Holy Spirit of course but I also consider that part of the self that perseveres and shines—both are spirit. Spirit is very connected to heart, an aspect of the self that I also gave plenty of room to in my book. Soul is so many things. It is a heart-felt sp...